My mom would have been 93 years old today. Last November she joined Jesus in heaven and today is dancing in gratitude for the life He gave to her by His death and resurrection. My dad would have been 95 in 3 days. He joined my mom and Jesus in February.
Needless to say, it has been a rough year for my siblings and I. Lots of memories to process as well as the items they deemed valuable enough to save. There were some surprises, like a cowboy vest and gloves…made of real cowhide. Another, not so surprising, were the notebooks in which my mom put all of the Bible studies she’s done over the years.
My mom brought joy to many people. Her contagious laughter encouraged others to laugh in spite of difficulties. She found a way to find the positive in every situation that came her way, she taught us to do the same.
She shared her love of Jesus with everyone she met. He gave her the strength to live life to its fullest.
She loved leading the song time and telling missionary narratives at Vacation Bible School. She used flannel-graph stories and designed elaborate flannel backgrounds using her gift of painting. She kept adults and children in rapt attention, looking forward to the next day’s sequel.
She had a wonderful gift in art. Her pictures hang on many walls today. Each of the family members have several pictures as focal points in our home. We thought we had them all, but we discovered a cache of beautiful colored pencil flowers, pictures representing different styles as she tried to find her own, and some of her drawings she had for art school, as well as the art teacher’s assessment of her work.
Alongside her own art, we found drawings by the grandkids which she kept over the years, with the dates. She also kept those things we had written as some of us pursued writing skills.
For years she worked painting signs to help feed and clothe the five children in her care. Her signs graced most stores in our small town. She also worked the polls every year. She loved being part of the political process, but in those days there was no electronics, it was all done by hand. Sometimes it was the wee hours of the morning before they got it all counted and recorded.
In her later years, as she became primary caregiver to my dad, she had to step aside from some of the activities she loved. But faithful friends continued to stop by and talk with her about the Scripture and the love of Jesus. She worked on getting her studies in order and in notebooks so that we could have access to the wonderful insights she received in her study of the Word.
She became more than a mother and mentor, she became a friend. Her influence in our lives and those around her always pointed to Jesus Christ as her source of hope and joy.
She has been an inspiration of hope and joy all my life.
Memories of my dad include ballgames, ice cream and swimming at the Y in Dayton, Ohio. He loved to watch sports and would fall asleep while watching them on TV, when we’d try to change the channel, he’d wake up and always knew the score. He also drove in his sleep at times, so something in him let him process while sleeping.
I graduated from high school on the same day he graduated from college. He valued education and made sure each of us had a college degree. My parents sacrificed a lot to make that happen.
My siblings and some of the grandkids rented a cabin in Gatlinburg. It was a favorite spot for my mom and dad in October where they celebrated their birthdays in the beauty of the Tennessee autumn.
The next few months will mean holidays without mom and dad, and even though I didn’t go home to them for Christmas or Thanksgiving anymore, it will be tough. I know I’ll see them again, but for now, my heart aches to talk to them one more time.
TRICIA LATHROP 